diseases at Brave New Films

"Mr. Condom" Promotes Safe Sex in Thailand

2008-11-19T04:47:37Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

AIDS activist Mechai "Mr. Condom" Viravaidya discusses several "out-of-the-box" methods for promoting condom distribution and safe-sex practices in his native Thailand.

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Mechai Viravaidya, politician and founder of the Population and Community Development Association in Thailand, discusses his innovative techniques for promoting birth control in the face of overpopulation and the AIDS epidemic.

He also talks about his efforts to build economies in rural villages in order to promote health and education. - Chautauqua Institution

Mechai Viravaidya, popularly known as "Mr. Condom" in his native Thailand, was recently awarded the 2007 Gates Award for Global Health on behalf of The Population and Community Development Association (PDA), the organization he founded in 1974. For over 30 years, PDA has helped improve lives and strengthen communities in Thailand through HIV prevention and family planning programs that have become international models. A health economist by training, Viravaidya is best known for his use of humor and unorthodox methods in focusing the public's attention on public health.The programs developed by Viravaidya and PDA led to a dramatic reduction in new HIV infections in Thailand, from 143,000 in 1991 to 21,000 in 2003.

Using a nationwide network of village-based volunteers, PDA empowers women to plan their pregnancies, giving both mothers and children the opportunity to live healthier lives. PDA's comprehensive approach to poverty reduction also addresses income generation, water resource development, sanitation projects, environmental conservation, and promotion of gender equality and democracy.

Today, PDA's 600 employees and more than 12,000 volunteers work in 18 regional development centers and branch offices throughout Thailand. Through its international training program, PDA has trained 2,900 people from 50 countries in innovative approaches to HIV prevention, family planning, adolescent reproductive health and other issues.

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Take Care "Down There" - Check Out The Racy Videos

2008-10-29T03:29:27Z

Watch more at www.theyoungturks.com

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John McCain: Livestrong Summit 07/24/08

2008-10-28T09:30:37Z

John McCain
Livestrong Summit
Columbus, OH - 07/24/08

TRANSCRIPT:
LANCE ARMSTRONG: This election [...] there's constant coverage. Which I think is great, for the most part. Through this process, I have seen, this is just speaking from fact, I have seen your opponent say that the equivalent, or voting for you is the equivalent of voting for a third George Bush administration. This is what I have read. The second thing I'll say, again a fact, that for the third year in a row the current administration has shrunk the budget at the National Cancer Institute. This is a fact. If you are elected president, will we continue to see that trend? Or will we reverse that trend, and actually increase funding at the National Cancer Institute?

MCCAIN: We will reverse that trend. But [...] I think we ought to all support a better method of aportionating the funds. [...] So we can make sure, that whatever money it is, is going in the most effective way and would lead us to on the path of success in the struggle against various forms of cancer or other diseases. There's unfortunately a competition, as you know, between the important advocates, and the addressing adequately so many of the challenges that America faces in the area of health and other areas. [...] And don't sometimes you feel Lance, like you are competing with people who also have very legitimate causes?

ARMSTRONG: Correct. And that's what they say. [...] And I think that's the beauty of this event. And it's been our approach all along is that we think we need a united approach here. This is one disease, absolutely. And I have no idea who's going to be the president [...] but I want to make sure I heard you right, you would decrease that trend, I mean I'm sorry, you would reverse that trend?

MCCAIN: Oh sure, yes.

PAULA ZAHN: Can you tell us by how much though? Your democratic candidates at your forum in the fall were saying they'd double and they'd triple the [...] budget. Double, triple, those are big numbers.

MCCAIN: How about quadruple, or quintuple? How would that sound? Quintuple or sextuple or whatever it is you want to say? The point is, one, we got to pay for it. And two, we have to apportionate it correctly. So it's easy, particularly in all candor, for liberals to go out and say I'll give you all this. You know the debt we've laid on you, future generations of Americans? Do you know that Medicare, which is a vital safety net, is 40 some trillion dollars in debt? Unfunded liability. So when you go out and you say I'm going to double, or triple, or quadruple the amount of money, I'd like to not lay the debt for it on the next generation of Americans who are not going to receive the same social security benefits, who are not going to receive Medicare.

And so I think we need some fiscal responsibility in Congress also. And the first thing I want to do is cut out the pork barrel projects. Okay, you keep mentioning my opponent or my opponents. I have never asked for a single pork barrel project for my state. Not a one. Never. My opponent has asked for 932 million dollars in pork barrel projects. Literally one million dollars for every working day that he's been in the United States Senate. So if you want to talk about spending money, I know how to spend money, everybody does, but I promise you my friends, I'm not going to lay that debt on the next generation of Americans. We're going to pay for it.

ZAHN: So you're not going to give us any hard numbers then, as president how much you would?

MCCAIN: I'd be glad to give you some hard numbers about the 9,000 pork barrel projects and 18 billion dollars in pork barrel projects that we've accounted for that we could take and immediately transfer, that Senator Obama continues to vote for, and I continue to vote against. So I'd be glad to give you some numbers but I'd also like to give you a couple of other numbers. How bout, 6 trillion, in I believe it is, unfunded debt is social security. These young people here, they're going to have to pay that bill. Let me give you another number. 40 some trillion dollars in unfunded liability from Medicare. [...] I don't think it's particularly fair to say I'll spend all this much more money without paying for it and without having it taken care of in one way or the other. So we will increase the funding my friends, but we will do it because I'll make the pork barreling guys famous, and you'll know their names. And we won't spend anymore. [...] My friends, we won't do those things. And we'll take that money, and we'll make sure it goes to the right place and this is one of the right places.

LABEL: JM OH 07-24 (RAD#4) Clip 9

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John McCain: Livestrong Summit 07/24/08

2008-10-28T09:30:39Z

John McCain
Livestrong Summit
Columbus, OH - 07/24/08

TRANSCRIPT:
LANCE ARMSTRONG: When and if you are elected president and you elect your cabinet, I think it's important, I understand that this is our family, the United States of America is our family. This is how much we make, this is how much we get to spend, we can spend it on wars overseas, we can spend it on diseases, we can spend it on highways. However, and I understand we have to work within the parameters of that budget, however, to me it's easy to understand the significance of this disease when you just look at the toll it takes on American lives. You can look at the emotional and the human toll, 560,000 Americans die every year, and this just keeps clicking and clicking and clicking, it costs our economy 213 billion dollars, and we're spending 5. This makes no economic sense. Meanwhile, 560,000 Americans will not go home next year. That makes no sense morally. [...] You can look at how we allocate money per death, in the United States of America and cancer is underfunded. And then you can look under the umbrella of cancer and say where are we spending our money with regards to the fight against cancer? And you realize that lung cancer is underfunded. And it's underfunded because it's an orphan disease, people say you smoked, it was your choice. But I think we must look at the entire problem, allocate where it effects us the most. [...] I think we have to prioritize what this disease and what certain sets of diseases, how they impact our society.

MCCAIN: I think I'm in total agreement with you. And one of my opening comments, when I talked about I would support increases, we have to make the right kind of decisions and prioritizing. But I'd also like to point out to you that what we also need to do is scrutinize every agency of government and those that are not doing the things they were supposed to do, we should abolish those. One of the things about beurocracies is that once they're established they seem to go on and on. And I can identify so much, do you know in the farm bill my friends we gave 93 million dollars in tax breaks to thorough bred race horse owners. [...] And 15 million dollars for asparagus growers. And the list goes on and on. We need to scrutinize these agencies of government and rather just promise increased spending we should take those funds and then we can put them to the causes that are so vital. In every statistic that you mentioned, Lance, is absolutely true. And frankly, as a person who had one of the toughest fights of quitting smoking, I don't think we should penalize people with lung cancer because they smoked. Especially when the government of the United States encouraged it at one point in time in our history.

LABEL: JM OH 07-24 (RAD#4) Clip 10

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Elbows-Deep in Ebola Virus - Richard Preston

2008-10-28T09:30:47Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

"The Hot Zone" author Richard Preston tells the story of a U.S. Army Lt. Colonel's life-threatening experience while researching a strain of deadly Ebola virus.

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Richard Preston talks about Panic in Level 4: Canibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science. These dramatic accounts, all updated since appearing in The New Yorker, are true tales, taking readers on a journey to military labs, hospitals, and jungles around the world, revealing frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are reordering our world - Book Passage

Richard Preston is the author of seven books, including The Hot Zone, The Cobra Event and The Demon in the Freezer, which are his "Dark Biology" series.

Preston is a regular contributor to The New Yorker. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and he has won numerous awards, including the American Institute of Physics Award and the National Magazine Award.

Preston is the only non-medical professional ever to receive the Centers for Disease Control's Champion of Prevention Award for public health.

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Challenges to AIDS Prevention - Marcus Conant

2008-10-26T15:30:58Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Dr. Marcus Conant identifies practices that challenge doctors working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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Dr. Marcus Conant, chairman of the Conant Foundation and one of the first doctors to diagnose and treat AIDS in San Francisco, discusses the future of the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

Dr. Marcus A. Conant is an honored and respected pioneer, lecturer, physician and out-spoken advocate for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Among the first physicians to identify AIDS in 1981, he helped create one of the largest private AIDS clinic, was a founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and his work contributed to development of some of today's top HIV medications. He continues his strong, passionate and uncompromising demands to give hope to all people with AIDS through state of the art treatment and the assurance they can live with dignity and respect.

Today, Dr. Conant is Chief Medical Officer for Presidio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The specialized pharmaceutical company is focused on developing and commercializing small molecule compounds for treatment of HIV-1, HCV and other chronic viral infections.

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Interview with Dr. Mary Gilchrist

2008-11-19T04:32:32Z

This is a short clip from a half-hour program that will air April 30th, 2007 at 7:30pm on PATV.
Bio-terrorism, pandemic H5N1 avian influenza and the University Hygienic Laboratory will be discussed with Dr. Mary Gilchrist.
Gilchrist will be sharing photos from her recent trip to Egypt, Nepal, and Thailand where she evaluated labs for their preparations to detect H5N1 avian influenza.

She will also talk about her lawsuit against UI President Gary Fethke and her ongoing campaign for a better state public health lab in Iowa.

More about Gilchrist's public health campaign at:

http://www.iowanswantthebestlab.org/

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The Pulse - Hospital acquired infections -14Jan08- Ep12-Pt 2

2008-10-17T15:30:29Z

These deadly new diseases are on the rise and are resistant to antibiotics.

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The Pulse - Hospital acquired infections -14Jan08- Ep12-Pt 1

2008-10-17T15:30:51Z

These deadly new diseases are on the rise and are resistant to antibiotics.

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